The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

The Zichen Palace, the heart of the Song Dynasty's power.

The atmosphere at today's morning court session was more eerie than ever before.

In the past, the ministers would argue about which riverbanks had breached or which refugees had caused trouble. But today, everyone's eyes were casually glancing at the list of candidates for the imperial examinations that had just been presented to the emperor.

The air was filled with a sour and gunpowder smell.

Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, sat upright on the dragon throne, holding the thin list in his hand, his expression a half-smile, his eyes full of amusement.

"My beloved ministers."

Emperor Renzong's voice echoed through the hall, breaking the deathly silence, "You've all probably heard about this year's imperial examination results, haven't you?"

The ministers below the stage looked at each other, their heads bowed so low they wished they could bury them in their crotches, none daring to speak first.

After all, it was unprecedented in the century-long history of the Song Dynasty for a private academy to sweep the top three spots. Saying the wrong thing could easily offend people.

"Runzhou Jingshi Academy, Su Shi, Zeng Gong, Su Zhe."

Emperor Renzong recited these three names, his fingers lightly tapping on the imperial desk, making a "tap-tap" sound, as if he were knocking on the hearts of some people.

"The top three are all disciples of the same person. My esteemed ministers, this matter... is quite interesting."

……

After a brief silence, a minister dressed in a purple official robe, with a face as stern as granite, stepped forward.

This man was none other than Sima Guang, the toughest nut to crack in the Censorate and the future "boy who smashed the water jar".

"Your Majesty, I believe there is something highly suspicious about this matter!"

Sima Guang's face was stern, his voice forceful and clear, and his spittle practically flew out:

"The imperial examination is the nation's grand ceremony for selecting talent, emphasizing fairness and impartiality. Now that these three individuals come from the same school, their writing styles will inevitably be similar, and their viewpoints may even be identical. If this continues, it may raise suspicions of 'forming a clique'!"

The moment the words "forming a faction" were uttered, the air temperature inside the hall instantly dropped several degrees.

In the Song Dynasty, what the emperor feared most was factionalism. These two words were a political death sentence.

However, before Emperor Renzong could speak, a tall and distinguished minister from the other side of the queue stepped forward with a sneer.

It was none other than the Privy Councilor, Han Qi.

"Lord Sima, you are mistaken."

Han Qi glanced at Sima Guang, his eyes filled with disdain:

"The imperial examination tests talent and learning, not birthplace or household registration! If these three are truly exceptionally talented and can surpass all the scholars in the land, then it is a blessing for the nation! Should we shut out talented people just because they are classmates? Wouldn't that be throwing the baby out with the bathwater?"

"Lord Han, nip it in the bud..."

"Alright, stop arguing."

Emperor Renzong waved his hand, interrupting the two's usual banter.

Although this trend of "reformers" and "conservatives" has not yet fully taken shape, it has already created a tense atmosphere in the court. He is not concerned about that now; he is concerned about the "mastermind behind the scenes."

Emperor Renzong turned his gaze to Ouyang Xiu, who was standing in the front row and had not spoken.

"Minister Ouyang, you are the chief examiner. You were the one who ordered these three papers to be rejected, and you started this fire. What do you have to say for yourself?"

……

Ouyang Xiu took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and stepped forward.

He knew that this was the best opportunity for him to "make a name for himself" for Jiang Lin, and also a crucial step in bringing "practical policy theories" to the imperial court.

Although it's a bit embarrassing for me, this performance... has to be praised!

"His Majesty."

Ouyang Xiu spoke in a loud voice, his eyes resolute, “I selected these three not out of personal favor, but because of their talent. Your Majesty may personally review their papers later. Whether it is the dialectical reasoning of the classics, the dynamism of their poems, or the scope of their policy essays, they all far surpass their peers.”

At this point, Ouyang Xiu paused, then suddenly made a gesture that left all the officials speechless.

He bowed deeply before the dragon throne, his tone filled with unprecedented solemnity:

"As for Lord Sima's concern about 'forming a faction,' I believe there is no need to worry. The teacher of these three is a true reclusive master."

"Oh?" Emperor Renzong's interest was piqued, and he leaned forward. "You mean that Jiang Lin?"

"Exactly."

Ouyang Xiu raised his head and, before the assembled court officials, uttered a statement that would be recorded in history:

"I once traveled incognito to Runzhou and had a long conversation with Mr. Jiang Linjiang that lasted all night. We discussed everything from his knowledge and learning to his insight into the current situation..."

He took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell:

"Your humble servant, Ouyang Xiu, is ashamed to admit his inferiority!"

boom--!

The main hall was in complete chaos.

All the ministers were so shocked that their mouths dropped open, their jaws nearly falling to the ground.

Who is Ouyang Xiu?

That's the leading figure in the literary world today, a man of extremely high aspirations, someone who might not even respect the prime minister. And yet, in public, he admitted he was inferior to a twenty-something-year-old schoolteacher from Jiangnan?

This is outrageous!

"I am ashamed of myself..."

Prime Minister Fu Bi stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming. "Uncle Yong, Uncle Yong, aren't you exaggerating a bit? Is Jiang Lin some kind of immortal?"

"Whether he is a deity or not, I dare not say."

Ouyang Xiu remained expressionless, but in his heart he thought: Although that kid is not a god, the things in his mind are indeed more useful than those of a god.

"But I dare to assert that if Jiang Lin were to enter the court, he would certainly have a place among the two prime ministers."

Emperor Renzong sat on the dragon throne, listening to wave after wave of "top-notch flattery," his eyes shining brighter and brighter.

"Jiang Lin..."

Emperor Renzong murmured the name, a playful smile playing on his lips. "I remember now. Last year I summoned him by imperial decree, but he claimed illness and refused to come. Later, I wrote him a personal letter, but he still wouldn't come!"

"This guy has a really high and mighty attitude."

Although he spoke of being arrogant, there was no anger in Emperor Renzong's tone. Instead, it revealed a strong desire to "get you."

In this era of talent shortage, emperors are willing to indulge talented individuals with strong personalities.

"Reveal my imperial edict."

Emperor Renzong abruptly stood up, his dragon robe billowing, and his gaze swept over the assembled officials:

"For this palace examination, I will personally set the questions! I want to see if the students taught by Jiang Lin are truly as brilliant as Minister Ouyang claims!"

"Court adjourned!"

……

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.

Runzhou, Jingshi Academy.

The sun is just right, the breeze is not dry.

Jiang Lin was sitting on the podium with his legs crossed, holding a pointer in his hand, pointing to a complex "public opinion dissemination chart" drawn on the blackboard.

Below the stage was a group of left-behind children who were not yet old enough to take the exams, and they were listening with great interest.

"Achoo—!"

Jiang Lin suddenly sneezed loudly and rubbed his nose.

"Tsk, it seems that our Lord Ouyang has already begun to 'exert his influence' in the court."

"Sir, how did you know?" Qian Duoduo asked curiously while sitting in the first row, taking notes. "Bianjing is more than a thousand miles away from here."

Jiang Lin smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip:

"This is called the 'public opinion fermentation cycle law.' The results were announced three days ago, the news spread through the palace and fermented for a day, and the court meeting took another half day to launch an attack. Judging by the timing, now is precisely the time for our Lord Sima Guang to jump up and down in anger."

He turned around and wrote two names on the blackboard: [Sima Guang] VS [Ouyang Xiu].

"Remember this, this is the 'crisis public relations' lesson I'm going to teach you."

Jiang Lin tapped the blackboard with his pointer. "Your three senior brothers took the top three spots. This is called 'standing out from the crowd.' The conservatives will definitely attack us for 'forming a clique,' which is an inevitable process."

"Then...then aren't the senior brothers in great danger?" a student asked worriedly.

"Danger?"

Jiang Lin's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Danger is often accompanied by huge traffic. Ouyang Xiu is a smart man; he knows how to defuse it. He will definitely use the 'praise to kill' tactic—praising me to a high position to arouse the emperor's curiosity."

"Once the emperor became curious, Sima Guang's attack turned into an 'assist'."

Jiang Lin looked out the window at the sky, as if he could see the bustling city of Bianjing through the clouds.

"Although Zizhan seems unreliable most of the time, he's actually quite sensible when it really matters."

"Duoduo!" Jiang Lin suddenly called out.

"Students are here!"

"Let's raise the prices of the land around our academy. Once the results of the imperial examination are out, this won't just be an academy anymore; it'll be the 'holy ground for the top scholar.' The concept of 'school district housing' should be hyped up."

"Sir, you are wise!"

……

Let's switch our focus back to Bianjing.

After the court session ended, the political radar of the entire capital city was instantly activated.

The back gates of various mansions were quietly opened, and countless spies and stewards were dispatched, all with one target—Gaosheng Inn.

At Han Qi's residence.

"Go, prepare a generous gift and send it to Gaosheng Inn. Tell them that I admire Su Huiyuan's talent and would like to invite him to my residence for a chat and a drink."

"My lord, isn't it too hasty to proceed before even passing the palace examination?"

"What do you know? Even Ouyang Xiu said he was inferior to him, so how could his disciples be bad? If we don't win them over now, they'll be out of the running once they become the top scholar in the imperial examination! This is what you call 'buying at the bottom'!"

At Sima Guang's residence.

"Investigate! Find out exactly what Jiang Lin's background is! Find out everything about him, his ancestors for eight generations! I refuse to believe that a teacher could have such extraordinary abilities; he must be some kind of heretical sorcerer!"

Meanwhile, at the Gaosheng Inn.

Su Shi and his two companions were facing a "happy dilemma" at this moment.

The inn's lobby was so crowded with stewards of various powerful figures that not even a fly could get out.

"Su Huiyuan! My master is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he would like to invite you for tea!"

"Master Zeng! My lord requests your presence!"

"Third Master Su! My young lady has admired you for a long time and would like to invite you to her residence to admire the flowers..."

Su Shi hid at the top of the stairs on the second floor, looking down at the scene below, and shrank back in fright.

"Goodness gracious...this is way too enthusiastic! This isn't a dinner party, it's a wedding robbery!"

Su Shi wiped away his cold sweat and turned to his two junior brothers. "What do we do now? Is this mentioned in Master's 'black brocade pouch'?"

Zeng Gong shook his head, looking completely honest: "The black brocade pouch is for saving your life. But the teacher mentioned it during his 'Career Planning' class—"

Su Shi's eyes lit up, and he immediately chimed in, mimicking Jiang Lin's tone:

"Yes! As the gentleman said: 'Don't accept any offers before your value has reached its peak, or you'll easily be used as cheap labor.'"

The three exchanged a glance and instantly reached a consensus.

This is just the provincial examination. Once you pass the palace examination and become the top scholar, you will be a "disciple of the emperor," and your status will be worlds apart!

"Closed! No visitors!"

Su Shi shouted to the waiter downstairs in a loud voice:

"Waiter! Put up a sign! Say we're in seclusion, preparing for the imperial examination! We won't see anyone except for an imperial decree!"

He thought for a moment, then added:

"Especially that guy who wants to marry his daughter to me! Tell him that I, Su Shi, have already pledged my heart to the Song Dynasty and will not discuss personal feelings for the time being! Unless... unless his daughter is as beautiful as a celestial being!"